Facade cleaning: when do you choose which cleaner?
Due to the ravages of time and undesirably applied products such as graffiti, the façade of a home or business premises may need thorough cleaning. You can clean a façade in various ways. Here, it is always important to properly inspect the surface and to correctly determine the degree of contamination. This way, the right treatment can be carried out without serious damage.
Possible cleaning methods
An easy way to clean a façade is with water. This can be done with a steam cleaner or a high-pressure sprayer. This allows you to often remove the green or black deposits.
A more aggressive method of cleaning a façade is by blasting. With this method, there are various factors that determine the degree of cleaning and also the risk of damage, namely the pressure, the distance from the nozzle to the façade, the type of blasting agent... Whether it is wet or dry, with sand, soda, cotton fibers, ice or any other abrasive, the risk of damage is real. A professional approach is therefore very important.
If simple cleaning with water is not sufficient, chemical products can also be used. Depending on the type of contamination and the surface, you can work with an acid, an alkaline product or a moss killer. When working with chemical products, all safety regulations must always be observed. When it comes to chemical products, a distinction is often made based on the pH value. A pH value between 0 and 6 indicates an acidic façade cleaner; a pH value between 8 and 14 indicates a basic or alkaline façade cleaner. Below you can read when to choose which type of cleaner.
Acid facade cleaning products
For heavy soiling on brick, concrete and cements, you can work with an acidic facade cleaner. For lime and sandstones, however, it is not recommended to work with acidic façade cleaners.
At Reynchemie, we have different types of acidic facade cleaning products, each with their own specific properties:
- RC Façade P — pH less than 1 — Ready-to-use, thixotropic facade cleaner. Dissolves surface contamination gently but extremely effectively on brick, architectural concrete and other porous, acid-resistant surfaces.
- RC Cement clean 2 — pH 2 — An effective acid-based liquid mixture specially developed for heavy cases of cement deposits or dry cement stains. The proven advantage is that it immediately penetrates the cement and dissolves completely, resulting in thorough cleaning.
- RC Brick clean — pH 3 — Slightly acidic, ready-to-use, thixotropic and biodegradable facade cleaner based on ammonium bifluoride. Dissolves surface contamination gently but extremely effectively.
Alkali facade cleaning products
In addition to acids, alkaline façade cleaning products can also be used. Alkali can be used perfectly for contaminated limestone surfaces and natural stone.
- RC Alkalit 502 — pH 8.5 — This cleaning product is an environmentally friendly cleaner for mineral surfaces, specially developed to remove atmospheric contaminants. Non-aggressive to the surface, the environment and the user. Does not affect the limestone skin so that the original patina color is preserved.
Universal cleaning product and mud killer
Universal cleaning product (RC OS2) and/or mudgers (R.C. Kilgreen) have a powerful, intensive effect. These can be used on all types of surfaces, e.g. brick, wood, roofs, facades... This type of cleaning product removes light contaminants of atmospheric origin such as green deposits, moss, etc.
At Reynchemie, 2 types are produced:
RC OS2 — This product is a universal cleaning product for intensive cleaning of all types of outdoor surfaces. It removes all pollution and deposits of atmospheric origin. After application, the product does its job. Without scrubbing or using a high-pressure cleaner, the result is noticeable after just a few days (only with light soiling).
R.C. Kilgreen — This is a powerful and ready-to-use demosser for combating, among other things, mosses, algae and fungi on all outdoor surfaces. Due to its unique composition, this product has a self-cleaning and sustainable effect deep into the pores of the surface, so that the moss attack is fought for longer.
Graffiti removal
Graffiti is one of the most persistent façade pollution. It's disfiguring and often involves more clutter. To remove graffiti efficiently, it is first necessary to determine the type of paint and the undercoat. Graffiti removal should ideally take place within 24 hours. After removing the graffiti, it is also advisable to apply an anti-graffiti layer, e.g. RC 810 DAY (permanent) or RC Wax (semi-permanent)
To remove graffiti on an unprotected surface, you should always consult a professional.
Hazards when cleaning a façade
Cleaning can damage the façade mechanically or chemically, causing sanding, powdering, peeling and crumbling. Masonry and many types of natural stone are often more porous after cleaning by removing or damaging the baking skin, so that the façade absorbs more water and there is a risk of frost damage and faster and deeper contamination of the façade.
Protect the cleaned façade
After cleaning, it is recommended to protect the facade from new dirt and moisture. This can be done with a hydrofuge or a facade impregnation agent. A hydrofuge makes a façade water resistant without changing the water vapour diffusion resistance. Learn more about hydrofuge in this article.
Our technical advisors are also always ready to assist you with word and deed through telephone advice or possibly a site visit. Take here contact your regional advisor.
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